Chapter Five

By Genavere

The explosion was heard all over the Magical Kingdom.

As one of the fastest fliers, Lest had already arrived at the palace and had called for Rui to gather more mages to assist Lord Munto when they were interrupted by the sound.

On the other end, Munto turned towards the sound, his eyes widening and the stone he had felt earlier nearly sent him to his knees. "Yumemi…"

Why had he sent her off with only two guards?! He should have taken her back himself and come back with Rui once he had seen her home safely!

"Yumemi!" He took off quickly into the sky and flew toward the direction the sound had come from. The guards quickly followed without orders.

A part of his mind tried to reason that maybe it had nothing to do with his wife, but his instinct told him differently. Until he saw her and had her in his arms, he would take what he had learned from years of war and assume the worst.

It did not take long to come across the first sign of trouble.

Pockets of air shimmered with Akuto crystals and felt like a void of life. It was quickly disappearing as the wind took the shards, but it could be felt by someone who depended on the essence to survive. Was this what had caused the dead patch, as well? What kind of weapon could do this?

It did not matter, not at that moment.

He took off faster, following the pockets of void littering the sky towards the edge of the island...they should have been heading towards the city. If they had been being shot at, then someone had been herding them away from safety. Why had he heard nothing?

Suddenly, he saw a familiar form coming towards him as Rui and several others from the city flew towards him.

"Lord Munto!" The group quickly matched their King's pace as Rui filled him in on what they knew. "There are reports of an attack from the East watch who said there was an explosion. Several mages have already headed there already, but we were coming to get you."

Rui quickly looked around and noticed a missing feature from their king. "Where is Lady Yumemi?"

He clenched his fists and pushed himself faster, leaving the group to struggle to keep up. Please, he pleaded, let her be safe.

Close to the edge, they came upon a crowd of mages that had formed in the area. He noticed the guard, Tormo, being tended to by a healer and stopped cold at the sight of the guard.

His skin had a layer of crystals over him and possible scorch marks. Each time the healer tried to touch him with a spell, he cried out in pain. Fortunately, it seemed he would crystallize, but what happened to the other guard and, most importantly, his wife?

Determined to figure out what happened, he made his way to the last person he had seen with his wife. "Where is the Queen?"

While he had meant to ask firmly, a feral desperation brought out a low, throaty growl he rarely brought out. A tone of voice that made even Rui take a step back.

Tormo shuddered in pain as he looked up at his king. Sobbing, he tried to push himself up, but the healer forced him to stay laying down to keep him from further injury. "T-there was someone that...chased us, Lord Munto! He had a weapon, one unlike anything I have seen before."

His breathing was ragged. "The other…he was hit and just…he just-gone."

"What happened to Yumemi," he snapped. He felt little pride in doing so to an injured soldier, but his wife was not here and he needed to know where she was.

"The Queen—" He sobbed again; tears ran down his face as he gasped through pain. "She felt the trap. She felt it...just before we were attacked. I failed...I failed. He just picked her up after we fell."

Rui stepped forward, putting a hand on Munto's shoulder before he could say anything. "What did the man look like? Was he like us or from the Lower World?"

"Us," he gasped. "Grey hair...tall, so tall. Old. H-he said...he called Lord Munto a fool."

The pendant in Munto's hand suddenly seemed to burn his skin as realization sunk in. "Gntarl!" He snarled and flew up away from the group.

He spun in all directions, checking the skies around them. Rage, desperation, and the raw need to protect her began to build up and consume him. His entire body shook. With the pregnancy, she was even more vulnerable. What if—

"Lord Munto," Rui came up in front of him and carefully grasped his shoulders. "We will find her. An emergency meeting will be called and ambassadors will be sent to the other kingdoms to request aid."

"What is stopping him from hurting her?" He snapped and felt a wetness against his cheeks.

"Nothing," Rui answered truthfully, "but we will not find her like this. We have scouts searching for her. Have faith in your people." He made care to not mention the King's emotional state or his tears.

Munto closed his eyes. What was she enduring right now? He pressed a clenched fist against his forehead. He had forgiven the man after Yumemi had asked him to show mercy and the United Armies Council had promised to punish the former commander. Yet, he had dared to come back and take her!

Just that morning she had been safe in their bed, in his arms, and now he did not know if the future they had this morning would ever be theirs.

The rage he felt at her being taken, knowing she was likely hurt and scared, that their unborn child was at risk, and knowing he could do nothing right now... Akuto swelled around as he threw his head back and let out a guttural roar of pain and fury.

He swore at that moment, when he found his wife and ensured she was safe, he would make certain Gntarl would never be able to touch her ever again.